Guided By The Stars
by Lyra Matsuoka
Summary: With no memory of their time as Duelists, those of the Student Council and Black Rose have moved on. But an alien force is awakening memories in them all that may have the power to bring the world revolution
1. Never Again

My first Utena fic...this is just slightly frightening. But I have bravely pushed on into new territories! This is a post-series fic, and one which came to me rather spontaniously. Translation: my muse reached out and smacked me on the head. Hard.   
  
So enjoy and don't forget to review!   
  
Disclaimer: Don't own this series. Wish I did, but don't. So sad.   
  
  
Guided By The Stars   
by Lyra Matsuoka   
Rated PG-13   
  
Chapter 1: Never Again   
  
***The swords were descending rapidly, and she felt unable to look away. This was what it meant to be alone, to stare death in the face and have no one to trust, no one to extend a hand of comfort or to caress your face with love. A blinding flash of pain as a sword, drawn inexoriably toward the ground, encountered resistance in the form of human flesh and continued straight through.***   
  
A girl in a torn and bloodied school uniform lay on the sidewalk in a bustling district of Tokyo. She did not move, and the blood spreading around her gave a reason. Wounds that bore a slight resemblance to those caused by a knife seemed to be everywhere on her body, frusterating the efforts of those who were attempting to still the bleeding. Concerned citizens formed a ragged circle around her, trying not to jostle her as a buisness man made a desperate call on his cellular phone.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
***The swords were descending rapidly, and she felt unable to look away. This was what it meant to be alone, to stare death in the face and have no one to trust, no one to extend a hand of comfort or to caress your face with love. A blinding flash of pain as a sword, drawn inexoriably toward the ground, encountered resistance in the form of human flesh and continued straight through. A black vortex swirling up to meet her, and always the scent of roses in the air. Miki, Juri, Saionji, Nanami, Touga, Akio. Wakaba. Anthy. Their faces swirled around and around as the night reached out its arms... ***   
  
Utena Tenjou's eyes flew open, her blue eyes focusing on the hospital ceiling. Her chest heaved for a few moments as the dream faded from her mind. The adreniline gradually returned to normal levels in her body, and her heartbeat began to even out. She would not give in to terror again. She had come so far in the past few months, and each time this nightmare came, it lost a bit of its power over her.   
  
Utena pushed her arms under her, bracing herself on her elbows. Tentatively she ran her fingertips over the muscles of her abdomen, scanning the raised scar tissue. The worst scars were still angry and red, but the more minor ones were fading to white lines. She had been assured that with a few laser treatments, many of the scars would be virtually invisible. She had already signed the release forms, and was due to begin treatment the next day.   
  
This room had contained the body of Utena Tenjou for more than eight months. She had arrived in critical condition, unconsious and bleeding heavily. The hospital had saved her life, and hadn't asked about insurance or payment, mainly because Utena had been in a shock induced coma. Not plesant. Utena was now a 'pet patient', one who is unable to pay and so recieves money from private donors for treatment. She had no complaints.   
  
Slowly, Utena pushed herself into a sitting position and stood. It took a bit of effort to convince herself that the physical pain was not going to return. It was gone, for good she hoped. The mental anguish she still suffered from...that was another matter entirely. And though Utena continued to assure herself that it would fade in time, the memories of her time as a Duelist continued to haunt her. Walking to the window, Utena gazed out onto the glittering lights of Tokyo. It was a long time before she left the window in favor of sleep.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
"Rise and shine, Tena!" came the chirpy voice. Utena opened her eyes grudgingly, and had to smile. Jack had arrived, looking always like she had just stepped out of a magazine. Denim hugged her legs, and a baby doll t-shirt molded to her body. Pale blue hair was pulled back in a stylish ponytail, and wide blue eyes twinkled down at Utena.   
  
"I'm up, I'm up," Utena muttered, pulling herself up in bed. Both girls knew it was an act; they had been through this ritual many times before.   
  
Jacqueline Lazurus was an intern at the hospital where Utena had been taken after the Ohtori incident. An American by birth, she was an effervescent presence in the hospital. The doctors respected her, the other interns enjoyed her company, and the patients adored her. She was different, and that made her a person to be studied.   
  
Jack insisted that everyone refer to her as 'Jack' rather than 'Jackie' or 'Jacqueline'. She felt the pressure from a male dominated profession, and while she dressed like a woman and had no problems with her sexuality or gender, she would answer to nothing but Jack. Most found it amusing or odd. Utena found it admirable.   
  
Jack and Utena had met shortly after Utena regained conciousness. Jack came and left the hospital room in a blaze of sunshine, and Utena never tired of seeing her. Jack wore the badges of an education that came with a high price, and the courage to face a great deal more to realize her dream. To a disillusioned Utena, Jack was a paragon.   
  
Though Utena never said what happened, and Jack had never pressured her to say, Utena had the oddest feeling that Jack understood. The two had become friends all through Utena's stay. And when the time had come for Utena to leave, Jack invited her to share an apartment. Jack had never asked if Utena had somewhere to go, or if she needed a place to stay for a while. Jack had simply packed Utena's few belongings and hustled her off to the apartment. She had never asked for rent or money for half the utilities, or anything of the sort. Utena had already resolved to pay her back as soon as possible.   
  
Utena and Jack had formed the oddest raport. They had virtually nothing in common, and yet they had become fast friends. Jack never asked questions, and she allowed Utena her space. Utena, in turn, was not demanding. In the months they had spent together, they had discovered that interests can be shared. Jack taught Utena how to cook, how to play poker, and introduced her to the most interesting forms of food. Utena had resolved to teach Jack how throw a baseball, how to dribble a basketball, and someday...how to fence.   
  
It was nice not to be in a hospital anymore. Though Utena had been out of school for a year and a half, she took equivalency exams and taught herself in the apartment. She rarely strayed from her room, and she never left the apartment. The paralyzing fear that the ordeal wasn't truly over.   
  
Utena's attitude worried Jack. It wasn't healthy, and Utena knew it. Locking herself away wasn't going to allow her to regain her confidence in the world. It would not build a trust in the human race. And it would not strengthen her mind toward the task that still loomed before her. But yesterday, the mail had brought an acceptance letter. Utena had been accepted to a private university's early start program.   
  
Utena was ready now. Two years after she had transfered to Ohtori, it was time to face the world once more. It was time to reclaim her life.   
  
"No matter what you say, we are going shopping today. You agreed that we would decorate your room and revamp your wardrobe and that is exactly what we are going to do," Jack stated, her hands on her hips.   
Without a word of warning, Jack threw Utena's clothing at her. Just as fast, Utena grabbed them from the air and shook them out. Jack stared.   
Quickly, Utena jumped out of bed and threw her clothing on, forcing muscles unused for months to twist and bend in ways familiar to them.   
It was exilirating, to be able to turn her body quickly and bend her limbs to her will. She had forgotten...but no longer.   
  
Utena smiled at Jack, flashing a cocky grin over her shoulder. The Ohtori Academey and all that had occured there had taken enough of her life. It was time to move on.   
  
"I want a make over," Utena announced, running a brush through her long pink hair.   
  
Jack lounged against the door frame, a blinding smile on her face.   
  
"Darling, you have come to the right place."   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
By the end of that day, Utena Tenjou was a different person. Her bedroom had changed from whites, creams, and greys to a vivid palette of primary blues, greens, and reds. Her wardrobe had been refurbished, and her hair was layered softly around her face. On one wall hung an ornate shelf decorated with every kind of rose patterned teacup that she and Jack had been able to find. On another wall hung a sword rack, and a rapier with a jeweled handle lay on it. Utena smiled. In her closet were various types of sporting equipment, and there were textbooks by her bed. Utena was a university student now.   
  
But more than the room had changed. The spark of determination and energy was beginning to return to Utena's eyes, and her soft smile was growing brighter by the moment. The shell that had lain in the hospital, and worked in the apartment for so many months had passed into memory. Now there was another Utena waiting to be discovered. She was not afraid, but neither was she so trusting in the honor of other human beings. This Utena was ready to face the world, and to return to normal life, as the other duelists, and she hoped Anthy, had done.   
  
Utena faced herself in the mirror, and blinked once, twice, again. This was the new Utena. And it was the new Utena who would face the next task. Quietly, Utena opened her door and slipped out of her room and into the main room. She paused in front of the mirror in the hall. Blue slacks, and a tight cream jacket with long sleeves. It looked a great deal like the uniforms of the Student Council, which was precisly the effect Utena had been trying to achieve. Satisfied, Utena continued toward the main room.   
  
"Jack, I need to take a walk," Utena said it quietly, and with a note of determination.   
  
Jack glanced up from the medical text she was reading, her blue eyes flitting over Utena's face. Jack had always been sensitive to Utena's moods and needs, and today was no exception. Jack nodded slowly, her eyes boring into Utena's   
  
"I'm on the midnight shift tonight. Take your key and be careful."   
  
Utena nodded. Jack was no doubt pleased that Utena was about to step outside the apartment on her own. Quietly, Utena moved across the carpet, slipped her shoes on, grabbed a jacket and walked out the door.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Hours later, Utena arrived at Ohtori Academy. She had wandered the streets of Tokyo, gathering her thoughts and attempting to sort through her emotions. Somewhere far off, a piano was playing softly. And Utena knew. She knew that it was time to let go, and to move on. But all that she had been through, all that she had learned, deserved more than a simple farewell. And so, Utena had found her way here, to the place where it had all begun.   
  
The dormitories were ablaze with light, and Utena could hear popular music blasting from somewhere within. Quietly, Utena walked by, one hand in her pocket, the other gripping a grocery bag. Through stone arches, past flickering lights, to the stadium. Gazing across the length of the stadium, she could see a darker space in the shadows. It might have been her imagination, but Utena could pretend that she saw the Dueling Arena. A faint smile caressed her mouth as she gazed up toward the sky. The thousands of stars twinkled back, neither condemning nor absolving.   
  
Utena lifted the bag up and dipped her free hand inside. From within she drew roses. Green, blue, orange, yellow, red and pink. Six roses, six original duelists. Two of each. She set six on the ground and placed the bag at her feet. Silently, silently, Utena plucked the petals from the roses in her hand, dropping them inside the bag. When only the stems remained, Utena lifted the bag and the whole roses, proceeding to the inner courtyard.   
  
There, in the center, Utena arranged the six roses in a pinwheel shape, and arranged the free petals in a circle around them. Where the stems of the six roses met, Utena placed the bloom of a silvery purple rose. She looked at her masterpiece, and turned to walk away. Utena did not cry, but she did not laugh or shout with freedom either. Utena's freedom was more simple, and much quieter. It was simply a lifting of responsibility. She was no longer at fault. There was nothing she would do differently.   
  
Utena paused, and turned her eyes in the direction of her old dormitory. Memories flashed across her mind in a jumble of colors and sounds, ending with pain and blood. For the first time, Utena felt no lack in herself. She had done all that she could to set Anthy free. It was time. The world opened its arms.   
  
And as Utena walked away from the Ohtori Academy for the last time, the stars seemed a bit warmer. When she reached the gate she paused and turned fully, her eyes flickering over the stone carved buildings where so many evils had come to fruition. And for the first time since the swords of hatred had descended upon her body, Utena laughed.   
  
It was slight, and yet heartfelt. It was genuine and honest. And it did not go unnoticed. Juri paused in her bathroom, frozen as she listened. Saionji dropped his practice sword in a kendo academy. Miki's hands froze over the keys of his piano. Nanami's head jerked to her open window. Akio rushed to his window, scanning the grounds. Wakaba woke from a deep sleep, listening desperatly. Touga slammed on the brakes of his car. And Anthy...she turned her head up to the stars and smiled.   
  
Utena Tenjou, who had a heart capable of bringing the world revolution, was free.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Doesn't that sound like a lovely ending? It is, in a way. It sets the stage for what shall come afterward. However, it is the beginning. So stay tuned for the rest of the story.   
  
Now, the dabbling in other anime fanfiction has begun in earnest. Such fun! So leave a note in the pretty review box. Like this fic? Hate it? This is the time when you get to express yourself! So go on, reach out to the poor feedback needy author. Thankies!   
  
Peace, Love and All That Jazz,   
Lyra


	2. A Memory Like A Ghost

And Chapter 2 is here (this would be the chapter where things actually   
start to happen. Exciting, ne?) and dang if it didn't take me long enough. Shows what watching fan subs of Utena will do for a poor writer's blocked author.  
  
Disclaimer: There are gnomes that live in the laundry room and steal my   
socks for clothing and sleeping bags. They love Utena too. But they don't   
own it and neither do I.  
  
This chapter title brought to you by Colin Raye and his song "I Can Still Feel You."  
  
Guided By The Stars  
by Lyra Matsuoka  
Rated PG-13  
  
Chapter 2: A Memory Like A Ghost  
  
As Utena walked back to her apartment building, a slight breeze   
began to blow. It whipped through her hair as she unlocked the front   
door of her home, and proceeded onward. It danced across the streets   
of Tokyo, pausing every so often to caress the cheek of an innocent   
passerby. Gaining speed and strength, the puff of air whipped toward   
Ohtori, and danced into the courtyard where a neat arrangement of roses   
lay.   
  
Carefully, the breeze enticed the loose petals to rise from the   
ground and dance with it. When all the petals were off the ground, the   
breeze blew them about in a spiral. The petals wound up the main tower,   
across the sky and circled the moon. Then they dropped to Earth as one,   
blowing toward the dueling arena.   
  
The arena was dark, and nothing was visible inside it. The breeze   
paused at the gate, too timid to enter this place, but the petals   
continued. They rose to the center of the arena and spiraled faster   
and faster, multiplying as they did so. In a breath they scattered,   
glowing slightly in the dark. What they left behind was a dark figure.   
  
The shapless nothing reached out a hand, and multicolored petals   
gathered in the palm. It smiled, and blew upon them softly.   
  
"I swear to you, I will change the world."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   
  
~*~*~*Five Weeks Later*~*~*~*  
  
Akio watched the day slip from the Earth from his tower window.   
The lights of the dormitories were blinking on, one at a time. Several   
students hurried toward their rooms as the shadows stretched longer and   
longer. Far in the distance, the Dueling Arena loomed. Akio gazed at   
it with a sneer on his lips.   
  
The Duelists had faded into the world by now. It was odd that he   
still thought of them as choosing to vanish into the world; he knew   
full well that they did so out of necessity. They did not remember the   
girl with a heart strong enough to bring the world revolution, and any   
memories they might have had of dueling for the right to seize the Power   
of Dios could easily be explained away as dreams.   
  
But the dreams were gaining strength. Slowly they were solidifying   
and transforming into memories of a time long gone. Akio knew he couldn't   
stop it...not now that Utena had faced the truth.   
  
He remembered hearing her laugh. How he knew it was her was   
uncertain, but when he had discovered the roses in the center courtyard,   
all doubt had been removed.   
  
Akio walked to his desk and withdrew a sheet of cream stationary.   
A pile of sealed envelopes rested on his desk, waiting for the moment   
when he would decide whether to turn them over to the postman, or to burn   
them as he had done so many times before. Many sticks of multicolored wax l  
ay to the side, and a candle burned nearby.   
  
"I can't," he muttered to the empty air.  
  
"You must," came the hard reply. "For the revolution of the world."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Touga Kiryuu was standing in the Ohtori Stadium. Though he had   
graduated nearly two years ago, something about the structure beyond   
the stadium held him to the lonely stone of the Ohtori Academy. He   
didn't understand it, nor did he expect anyone else to understand his   
fascination.   
  
The sunset was beautiful, but Touga could hardly remember a night   
when it wasn't. Blood red, this sky, as though the gods were grieving for   
something...or someone...  
  
Touga shook his head in wry amusement. The gaps in his memory were   
nothing to be worried about. Saionji, Juri, Miki, even Nanami shared them.   
No need for concern. And yet Touga wondered; was there something in his   
past that drew him here so often? To the stadium, to that odd place beyond   
it...  
  
He remembered once, four months after graduation, when he had arrived   
at the structure quite by accident. Though he gripped the ornate door handle   
and tugged, the portal did not give. Perplexed, but hardly worried, Touga   
had turned around and headed for his house.   
  
And now? Now he was grown, and he had left his childhood behind. The   
egotisim and playboy lifestyle...well, those were entertaining, and he   
didn't really have anything better to do. The university provided a fresh   
place to try his skills at many things, and Touga took advantage of every   
opportunity.   
  
But there were questions that surfaced briefly in his nightmares and   
fantasies. Images, flashes of emotion. Pain, defeat, anger, misery, the smell   
of roses, pink, all these things. And they were attached to something,   
something that hovered on the fringes of his consciousness and waited for   
the time to step into the light.   
  
But he had one dream in particular, one that refused to leave him.   
Nearly every night, the same scene. He saw the stars, and he was talking   
while gazing at them. His mouth was moving, but he couldn't hear the words.   
He could feel what they meant, but words seemed horribly inadequate. He   
turned his head to look at the girl sitting next to him, though he could   
not explain how he knew it was a girl who lent her company to the perfect   
night. But before he could see her, he always woke, usually with the strains   
of a piano playing gently in the inner part of his mind for a brief moment after.   
  
He loved, if only in his dreams.  
  
Something was missing. There was no point in denying that, even if he   
had spent the last two years attempting to do just that. Occasionally, Touga   
would hear laughter, or see a group of children playing basketball, and he   
would smile slightly and wait for it to fade. He had stood silent and aloof   
for two hours once, just listening as children ran about on a baseball field.   
  
Touga looked down at his shoes and considered his life. Plenty of friends,   
and he and Saionji were like brothers now. Juri and Miki had always been closer   
to each other than to him, but there was a bond between the four of them that   
could not be broken. None of them knew why it was there, but it was as much a   
part of their lives as oxygen.   
  
It was Juri who found him first. That surprised him; he would have bet   
his trust fund that Nanami would have tracked him down by now. Saionji respected   
the distance that Touga sometimes required. But Juri was a silent force, and she   
did not speak. Together, they watched the sunset.   
  
"What happened there?" Juri murmurred. "What do you remember that so   
many of us have forgotten?"  
  
"I don't know. I wish I did."  
  
Juri nodded, and glanced back at the buildings of Ohtori. As the   
color of the sunset began to mute itself, the bells rang out the hour.   
The chimes were simple, a mere calling of the time. But Touga cocked his   
head slightly, hearing something different. He heard a randomly beautiful   
clang, and victory and defeat abided in those sounds. A sword...pink hair...   
  
Out of the coming night came the last chime of the clock tower,   
and Touga started as something brushed his cheek. He reached up and   
freed the floating object from his hair; a red rose petal. He held it   
carefully, and let go when the breeze tugged at it.   
  
"Become like a rose petal, blowing free."  
  
Touga turned his eyes to Juri.  
  
"Why did you say that?"  
  
"It felt...right."   
  
Touga nodded and watched the petal floating away. It danced through the air, floating higher and higher...and suddenly, it dropped. The rose petal fell like a stone, and he fully expected to hear a crack when it touched the pavement. The breeze was gone, and Touga stared at the fallen petal. A memory stirred...a sword, glowing red and shimmering from within, red skirts, a golden crown, and blue eyes that shone from under that glimmering blade.   
  
The wind shifted, and the memory was gone. Touga blinked once, and felt the tingle of anticipation race through him.   
  
The time for answers was at hand.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sorry that took so long, everyone! I hope you enjoyed it, and I will try to do better, I swear! Forgive me? 


	3. Through The Looking Glass

AN: My word! What is this, you say? An update? On this fic? But it's been dormant for so long! I thought for certain it was dead! But no! It's back! Surprise!

Disclaimer: I don't own much, much less these characters, and what I have isn't very interesting. You don't want it. It isn't worth the trouble to sue me.

Guided by the Stars

by Lyra Matsuoka

Chapter 3: Through The Looking Glass

A month passed without incident. Life resumed a steady and normal pace; at Ohtori Academy students went to class and to their dorm rooms, ignoring the arena save for the occasional curious glance. It was an oddly shaped hill, most of the them said, and it was a common dare to walk up to the odd doors and tug on them – the longest anyone had managed to hold on was twelve seconds. The arena made the students nervous and they steered clear of it. Rumor had it that something bad had happened there, something that caused the headmaster to withdraw into his study. An accident, most people whispered. Someone had died there – probably a middle school student trying to prove how brave they were.

Since no one could confirm what had actually happened there, the rumors grew and shifted and shrank and grew again. No one stepped in to prevent them, and no one stepped up to set the record straight.

There were a few old students who were rumored to have had something to do with the accident – three of them had graduated, two of them walked the halls as easily as they had before the rumors had started.

Nanami and Miki were never asked what actually happened. Speculation was more fun, anyway. It was also hard to believe that they might know something and weren't telling; the story had already become urban legend.

But there were those who began noticing strange occurrences around campus. The greenhouse, which had been public for a long while, was suddenly marked 'For Alumni Use Only'. And the lights in the headmasters study remained on long into the night.

* * *

One month to the day after her brief return to Ohtori, Utena arrived at her apartment, her pink hair blowing in the breeze. It had been a lovely day, and Utena smiled and waved to her neighbors as she opened the mail box and dipped her hand inside.

The mailbox was nearly empty. Only one envelope was inside, and it seemed to have been carefully positioned rather than carelessly jammed in as mail so often was. She glanced at it, surprised to see that her name was on the front – she had honestly thought it to be a mistake. The paper was high quality and clearly expensive. She pulled out her keys, looking for the correct one and began climbing the stairs to her apartment, the envelope dangling in her hand. As she opened the door and removed the key, she flipped the envelope over and froze. The door swung shut behind her, but Utena was staring at the rose seal imprinted in wax.

Her bag was thrown to the nearest chair as Utena slowly opened the envelope and removed the embossed card concealed inside and began to read.

_Dear Ms. Tenjou_

_Your presence is required at the_

_To Bring The World Revolution Ball_

_A charity event to be held at the Ohtori Academy_

_9:00 p.m._

_Wendsday_

That was all. Utena grimaced as she inspected the card several times. Wednesday was four days away, but the timing wasn't what concerned her. The fact that they had found her at all was something to be considered carefully. Had Akio ever lost track of her? Had he known that she would appear in Tokyo, bleeding heavily and fighting for her life? Had he tried to help her and been prevented, or had he simply not cared?

And most importantly, had he resumed the identity of World's End?

No emotions showing on her face, Utena walked to her room and lifted the ornate sword down from the wall. In a smooth and practiced gesture, Utena drew the blade and tossed the sheath to the carpeted floor.

"Grant me the power to bring the world revolution," Utena muttered, watching the blade flash in the muted light.

* * *

A pounding on the door woke Juri. She rolled over

in bed, put her feet on the floor and stood, all silently. She did not look in the mirror as she walked down the hall toward the door; there was a confidence in that simple refusal. A bathrobe lay on a chair in the main room - Juri picked it up and whirled it about her shoulders, not bothering to tie it shut. She whipped the door open without even a thought to possible danger lurking on the other side of the portal. A deliveryman gaped at the beauty standing in the doorway.

Without a word he extended a clipboard. Without a word, Juri took it and signed her name with a cold, clipped gesture and snapped it back out to the man in the hallway. He handed her a package; she accepted it and shut the door.

The delivery man walked away, froze and walked back. Without knocking, he slipped a white envelope of heavy stationary under the door.

Juri looked up at the whisper of paper. Standing, she padded back to the door, bent and retrieved her mail. Turning it over, Juri stared coldly at the rose seal stamped in orange wax. She ripped the envelope open and removed the embossed card. She read it quickly. So, this was the game.

Juri walked to her room and dressed to face the day. She had little time for the past.

* * *

Miki stared at the envelope left in his mailbox. He hesitated before opening it, knowing that this was a link to the past he had forgotten and unsure that he wanted to allow those events to see the light of day once again. But after a few moments he carefully broke the blue rose seal and drew out the embossed card.

"Your presence is required..." he read aloud. His head snapped up as he read the next line, and he scanned the surrounding area instinctively before returning to the card. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, basking in the morning sunlight before turning back inside.

He carefully closed the door and placed the envelope and card on the piano as he moved toward the kitchen and the phone. He dialed by rote, so certain of the numbers that he did not need to pay attention to the act of pressing them.

The phone trilled in his ear and a brisk female voice greeted him.

"Juri," he said, turning to look out the window. "I assume you've received your invitation?"

* * *

Saionji took his time warming up at the studio. He stretched his muscles with the calm deliberation of one long accustomed to such activities, and made no effort to rush. The quiet of the studio was one of his favorite parts about it and was a large reason for his selection of it. It was located in a quiet part of the city, and there was little motorized traffic nearby.

He closed his eyes and let the silence cradle him as he reached for a practice weapon. His ears detected motion – the barley perceptible sound of footsteps. He turned to see Touga standing opposite him, a white envelope held carelessly in one hand.

"Would it be presumptuous of me to ask if you've received one of these?"

"Perhaps," Saionji responded. "But you'll ask regardless."

"Why bother? I have your answer."

"Has Nanami received one?"

"Yes. She called to tell me, very nearly hysterical."

"What possible reason could the Academy have for inviting us to a charity event?" Saionji asked, beginning his routine. Touga watched his movements closely, but didn't move from his position against the wall.

"We are former Student Body Council members, and successful in our own right after leaving the Academy. Perhaps they intend to show us off."

"Or perhaps they're tempting us with the possibility of answers. I have many questions to ask them about that year."

"As do I," Touga replied, looking down at the envelope. "As do I."

* * *

In the growing twilight, a lone figure sat quietly at a small café, gazing out the window at the lights of the city. A small animal sat on the table, quickly devouring cookies. The woman sitting with him lifted a delicate china cup and took a sip before quietly placing the cup on the table and standing. She smiled at the clerk as she collected her bag and her companion and went into the night. The scent of roses lingered behind her as Anthy stepped onto the street, her long purple hair hanging loosely down her back.

"It is time," she whispered as she turned and walked into the night.


End file.
